Flyers' body up in arms over SpiceJet's rock-bottom fares

The airline on Wednesday rolled out a new scheme offering base costs as low as Rs 444 on some destinations on its domestic network

Hotting up the low-fares war among airlines, SpiceJet on Wednesday rolled out a new scheme offering base costs as low as Rs 444 on some destinations on its domestic network with a select booking period and limited number of seats.

No sooner did the no-frills carrier announce its 'Monsoon Bonanza Sale', flyers' body Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) wrote to aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), seeking to know if it was mulling any action on such "bogus" schemes by airlines.

SpiceJet, however, termed the allegation completely baseless and said limited inventory is up for sale on first-come-first-serve basis. The airline added that it is ready to share names of bonafide customers with DGCA for further verification.

The five-day sale launched on Wednesday will be open till the midnight of June 26, the airline said, adding the travel period under the offer stands between July 1 and September 30.

The offer is for select sectors, including Jammu-Srinagar, Ahmedabad-Mumbai, Mumbai-Goa, Delhi-Dehradun and Delhi-Amritsar routes. Fares would vary according to sector, depending on the distance and flight schedules, and timings are subject to regulatory approvals, it said.

Besides SpiceJet, IndiGo, GoAir and Air Asia India had recently come out with similar low-fare offers. APAI alleged that airlines were taking passengers for a ride with such schemes.